Firefighters Rescue 4-year-old Girl From Burning Apartment

This made our heart pound. Last Friday, fire broke out at an apartment complex in Utica, NY, trapping a 4-year-old girl inside. Firefighters sprung into action and freed the girl. The dramatic rescue was caught on tape. The girl suffered severe burns to her airway and burns on her hands and feet, but she's alive. She remains hospitalized in critical condition. According to investigators, the fire started in the kitchen and quickly spread throughout the structure because numerous curtains, drapes and blankets were attached to the walls. The family of 10 that lived in the apartment is from Somalia and did not speak English. (An interpreter was brought in.)

Sidebar: Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri and Utica Fire Chief Russell Brooks have created a fund for the family of the girl to help them with the cost of traveling back and forth to the hospital in Syracuse, and also to help with the cost of replacing what they lost in the fire. Monetary donations are being accepted at the Utica Fire Department headquarters at 552 Bleecker St, Utica, NY 13501, or you can call the department at (315) 792-0264.